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JAPANESE FOOD

Sushi has a very interesting origin that has lasted for centuries and continues to be a very popular food source today.  Sushi is made with a combination of shellfish, cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and seasoned rice.  Although Sushi is most commonly linked to the Japanese heritage, it actually began in China during the 7th Century. 

Sushi has taken the world by storm and today is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Since 1970, more than 5,000 Sushi restaurants have been opened in America alone and just a few years ago, one annual sale of seaweed reached $36 million.  The popularity of Sushi continues to rise in that people are looking for healthy food that is quick and easy to make. 
According to the Millennium Edition of the Guiness Word Records, two Sushi records exist.  The first was established in January of 1992 in which a 715-pound fin tuna was sold for more than $83,000 and used to create 2,400 servings of Sushi for influential dinners at a staggering $75 per serving.  The second record consisted of the creation of the world’s longest Sushi roll.  It took more than 600 people to create a 3,279-foot cucumber roll in October of 1997. 
With such incredible popularity as well as the health benefits of eating Sushi, it is likely that this food will continue to be a part of everyday life for many more centuries to come.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish that originated in China. It tends to be served in a meat-based broth, and uses toppings such as sliced pork dried seaweed nori, kamaboko, green onions, and even corn. Almost every locality or prefecture in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu ramen of Kyūshū to the miso ramen of Hokkaidō.

Tofu, doufu (the Chinese Pinyin spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulatingsoy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.

Tofu originated in ancient China, but little else is known about the origins of tofu and its method of production. Tofu and its production technique were subsequently introduced into Korea, then Japan during the Nara period (late eighth century). It also spread into other parts of East Asia as well. This spread likely coincided with the spread of Buddhism as it is an important source of proteins in the religion's vegetarian diet.


Tofu is low in calories, contains beneficial amounts of iron (especially important for women of child-bearing age) and has no saturated fat or cholesterol. Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in calcium (important for bone development and maintenance), and magnesium (especially important for athletes). Tofu also contains soy isoflavones, which can mimic natural human estrogens and may have a variety of harmful or beneficial effects when eaten in sufficient quantities.

An Japanese parfait is a dessert normally made by layering cream or ice cream or flavored gelatin dessert with other ingredients such as granola, nuts, yogurts, syrups, liqueurs, fresh fruit, or whipped topping. A parfait is normally made in a tall clear glass making all layers visible. The term parfait traditionally refers to an ice-cream treat similar to a sundae.


The French term for parfait can refer to a frozen dessert ma
de of egg, cream, and fruit puree.

Matcha is a variety of fine, powdered green tea used particularly in the Japanese tea ceremony, as well as to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi (Japanese confectionery). The most famous matcha-producing regions are Uji in Kyoto, Nishio in Aichi, Shizuoka, and northern Kyushu.

Matcha is generally expensive compared to other forms of tea, although its price depends on its quality. Only the finest tea buds are hand picked, and it can take upwards of one hour to grind 30 grams of Matcha. Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves also used to make gyokuro, unlike other forms of powdered tea, such as powdered sencha.